Leadership Style
10% Authoritative/Decisive
40% Persuasive
40% Caretaker/Persistent
10% Procedural/Traditional
Trucking Along with Effective Communications®
In trucking companies, operations is by far the largest and most influential department. The operations staff manages drivers and maintains the sales force, as well as providing HR-related support. PDP was brought into the department in order to solve some leadership difficulties. The prior leader, who had a more direct style of leadership, had experienced a major heart attack which led to his resignation. After two years with a new leader, the department was still having a difficult time adjusting. He was a delegator and a collaborator, and those staff members used to orders coming down a rigid chain of command found his style challenging to understand.
Enter PDP
PDP Representative Steve Prelipp instituted a training sequence at Covenant to enable PDP to filter from upper management through to the front-line staff. First, he trained 8 individuals as Certified PDP Administrators, in order that they might give feedbacks to all staff who had taken the survey. To facilitate individuals understanding themselves and their role in the company, Prelipp began leading workshops with the PowerApp Understanding Your Personal Strengths. To date, 60 individuals have gone through this program—including members from all levels of management.
Once managers understood their own strengths, Prelipp began to introduce the Strengthening Leadership Performance PowerApp. Sixteen senior and middle managers have gone through the workshop and have created Action Plans, committing to changing the leadership environment. Upper and middle managers have appreciated the approach and many have learned new ways to delegate and express themselves to their staff members.
Results
The training sequence has garnered an enthusiastic response. Due to the economy, the company has found it necessary to downsize the operations department. That, coupled with the leadership struggles, led to a negative environment. The PowerApp workshops have been a real encouragement to the staff, with many saying “Thank you for investing in me—for spending time on me.” The workshops have given the staff new skills to build on, as well as endowing a real feeling of significance to the organization as a whole.
Moving forward, Prelipp plans to introduce the Developing Effective Communication Skills PowerApp into the training sequence, allowing upper and middle managers to first learn the skills and then bring them to their teams. He is confident that improved communication will go far in further strengthening and rebuilding the department—and from there, the rest of the company.
